Rise of extremism among young people

Particularly among young people between the ages of fourteen and thirty, China has one of the highest rates of social media usage. WeChat, Sina Weibo, Youku, Ren Ren, Douban, and other sites that are popular with young people are available in China in addition to Facebook and Twitter, which are the most widely used social media platforms everywhere in the globe. Additionally, China has 513 million internet users, the largest number in the world (Chiu, Ip, & Silverman, 2012). The number is more than twice as many as the 245 million users of social media in the United States. Also, the country has an attractive environment for social media with an excess of 300 million users ranging from blogs, microblogs and other networking sites. Another factor that has contributed towards social media activism in China is that most online users spend approximately 40% of the time on social media sites (Chiu, Ip, & Silverman, 2012). Moreover, most active users have more than one social media accounts.

The trend in social media use has spanned series of discussions on the possibility of radicalizing the youth who are the primary users. According to Chiu, Ip, and Silverman (2012), studies done on the use of social sites in the country show that youth are skeptical in using formal institutions and authority when airing their grievances. In addition, most of them value the advice of the opinion leaders in the social networks (Chiu, Ip, & Silverman, 2012). Although this is a good thing especially in social media marketing, it has contributed towards increasing casers of fake news and propaganda with a goal of whipping emotions especially among the youth who feel left out in the government. Hong Kong Special Administration Region, as a primary gateway to China has registered many cases of radicalized youth who are anti-government in the recent past. Despite being the world’s 8th largest economy characterized by free trade, minimum government intervention, low taxation and low unemployment rare, HKSAR continues to attract negative criticism from the youth dissatisfied with social development and social instability. The recent events have seen radical student movements with minimal trust towards the HKSAR as well as the Mainland authorities.

Problem Statement

In the current age of information technology and the development of social media, people are more exposed to a lot of information every day unlike in the past. While most studies have evolved on the positive impact of this technology on societal transformation, only a few of them explore the negative impact which social media had especially among the youth who are the majority of the users. Daily exposure to information has contributed towards increased interests and engagement in politics among the youth. Although this is generally a significant positive change, wrong social media use especially acts if incitements and spreading propaganda may result in the radicalization of the youth. The two main social media outlets; Facebook and Twitter have a vast of political news, information, and campaigns for various candidates and parties worldwide. Past studies have shown that the increased exposure to such information plays a key role in influencing one's political interests, cognition, and attitudes. Therefore, political socialization through social media has become a common trend among the youth aged between 17 and 25. The following paper explores the impact of social media towards the radicalization of the youth distrust in HKSAR government in China.

Research Objectives

The specific objectives of this current research include:

Examination of the phenomenon of radicalism among Hong Kong Youth

To explore what the primary sources of public affairs information received by Hong Kong Youth is and their social media behaviors.

Analysis of the relationship between the use of social media and radicalism of Hong Kong Youth.

Analysis of the relationship between the use of social media and attitudes toward the HKSAR Government.

Research Question

The following research aims at providing a critical analysis of social media use in Hong Kong. The study answers the research question: Does social media use in Hong Kong contributed towards the radicalization of the youth in the region as well as the development of distrust towards the Hong Kong Special Administration Region?

Literature Review

The emergence of the new and user-friendly technology has support young people wishing to express themselves through the media platform (Chan, 2006). Unlike in the past when such platforms were rare, social media has opened up new avenues which are mostly being exploited by the youth. According to Chan (2006), the idea of promotion of the youth voice through social media in Hong Kong has not only improved self-awareness, but it has also given a lot of young people voices to articulate social and political issues facing them and the region in general. However, the process of providing a voice to the youth is not transparent or naïve in itself (Chan, 2006). Most revolutionaries are taking advantage of the huge social media presence among the youth to pass anti-government messages and radicalizing the users in the process. According to Lau, et al., (2016), social media use in Hong Kong has contributed towards a wave of political movements and other factors such as mental health issues in the recent past.

Thompson (2011)explores the issue of social media use and its impact on socio-political balance. The study suggests that as a tool, social media has played a key role in radicalizing individuals for both social and political change (Thompson, 2011). Unlike a few decades ago, the use of mobile computing devices is on the rise. In addition, the internet has penetrated most parts of the world including the most remote regions. In this particular study, Thompsom (2011), outlines the power and the reach of the social media, both of which play a critical role in constructs of radicalization. Secondly, it is important to evaluate the reasons behind social media becoming the best tool for radicalization in the modern age. The radical voice currently prefers social media mainly because of the of accessibility to most people (Borum, 2011). Unlike the traditional medium of communication such as mainstream media which is demanding in terms technological requirement, social media enjoys a cheaper and wider reach. Besides, any form of information can be accessed more conveniently, as long as there is good internet access.

In his study, Borum (2011) provides various dimensions of radicalization as a result of social media use. In addition, the constructs of terrorism and the various forms it takes due to technological advancement have also been analyzed. The primary reason behind the ease of radicalization of the youth is that social media sites provide the capability for group dynamics. Compared to decades ago, it is much easier to identify like-minded individuals who share similar ideologies, beliefs, and motivation (Porter & Kebbel, 2011). In addition, attachments and rationalizations also play an important role when engaging in social media activism. Failure to control such social issues can lead to terrorism-related behavior (Borum, 2011). These findings complement those of Menkhaus (2014) who analyzes Al-Shabaab, a jihadi group in Somali which during its infancy effectively used websites, YouTube videos, and chat rooms. The capacity to explore social media sites has been a significant part if the group’s recruitment process, and improving coordination (Menkhaus, 2014). It is, therefore, important to impose social media regulations to address the problem of youth radicalization which has the potential to escalate to terrorism-related activities.

To evaluate the level of radicalization of the youth through social media sites, Sikkens, Sna, Sieckelinck, Boeije, and DeWinter (2017) contacted youths who expressed extreme ideals on Facebook. In this particular study, Sickkens et al. (2017) was able to recruit a large number of young people who had extreme left-wing and Islamic ideals for a study. Unlike other platforms such as face-to-face conversations, young people are usually free to express themselves much better through various social media platforms (Sikkens, Sna, Sieckelinck, Boeije, & DeWinter, 2017). Hence, it has become a lucrative area of recruiting already radicalized youth who are otherwise difficult to reach using alternative means. According to Berger and Strathearn (2013), social media provides an opportunity to identify tens of thousands of users with interest in violent ideologies. Consequently, radical revolutionaries have tapped into this potential by posting messages which resonate with such followers through various social media sites. For most students of extremist movements, the platform provides the required exposure for radicalizing doctrines (Berger & Strathearn, 2013).

While most scholars view youth radicalization in Hong Kong through social media as a problem rooted in the regional politics, Lo (2015) suggests that the problem is deeply rooted in the system itself and the society at large. According to Lo (2015), both the primary and the secondary education systems in Hongkong have failed to emphasize the obligations that young people have (Lo, 2015). In addition, authors and social media gurus in Hong Kong have overemphasized on the collective rights of the people especially the youth while neglecting issues such as obligations which individuals have to the society. In addition, youthful netizens in Hong Kong rely heavily on social media platforms for news about the mainland. According to Lo (2015) internet in Hong Kong tends to be critical of both the central government as well as Hong Kong Special Administration Region government. The wrong representation of both social and political events in Hong Kong through social media has contributed to the current change in attitude towards HKSAR government and emergence of radical youth movements.

Leistdt (2016) provides an analysis of how radicalization occurs. Social media offers a platform for assessment of psychological predisposition among the people. Terrorists or political revolutionaries use such analysis to understand the people and the type of message to pass across (Leistdt, 2016). The youthful radicals in Hong Kong, most of whom spend a lot of their time on social media sites have contributed to process of radicalizing likeminded individuals.

There is a need to provide young people with stress coping mechanism as opposed to using social media where most rush to find solace, especially when faced with social problems. According to Sriwolai and Charoenukmongkol (2016), the society is currently facing new dimensions of problems such as addiction to social media. According to this study, people who are addicted to social media tend to have lower mindfulness and mostly used emotion-coping strategy (Sriwolai & Charoenukmongkol, 2016). Such individuals are prone to exploitation by the revolutionaries in social media who provide them with a "course." Grevet, Terveen, and Gilbert (2014) provide an analysis of ways in which individuals can manage political difference, especially in social media. According to Grevet, Terveen, and Gilbert (2014), these differences are a major basis for radicalization opposing groups attack one another. In social media platforms, homophily, which is a phenomenon whereby people tend to associate with those whom they share similar ideal shapes relationships and discussions (Grevet, Terveen, & Gilbert, 2014). It is important to encourage exposure to diversity when developing social media relations. Furthermore, weak ties between individuals participating a particular political forum through social media contribute towards disagreements and possible radicalization.

Methodology

Research Design

The study took the form of an empirical qualitative research to explore the relationship between social media use and radicalization among the young people in Hong Kong and increased distrust towards the government. In this study, radicalization will be defined as any act suggesting the adoption of an extreme position on either political or social issue. The qualitative approach comprised of the measurable outcomes depending on how participants answered the questions provided. Some of the variables identified include; the main sources of public affairs information received by the youth in Hong Kong and how it affects their behavior on social media and how radicalization relates with the use of social media in the country.

Study participants

The respondents in this study comprised of young people between the ages of 17 and 29 working or studying in Hong Kong. 20 participants were chosen for the interview. 10 of them were students in local universities while the rest were either working or freshly graduated. The participants had extensive knowledge and experience in the use of social media

Data Collection Methods

Data was collected through interviews which were administered through phone calls. The interviews were conducted at the respondent’s preferred time. The interview questions focused on the students’ personal opinion of the government in Hong Kong currently. They were asked whether the year of exposure on social media platforms have contributed to a change of attitude about the social and political situation in Hong Kong and their opinion about HKSAR government. Since data was collected in anonymity, individuals provided information regarding their political affiliations and an assessment of the HKSAR government in Hong Kong. Also, the participants were asked about the various media platforms they learn about anti-government demonstrations and rallies from.

Ethical Consideration

The social research was conducted based on the responses of the youths in Hong Kong. Therefore, the study observed all the ethical guidelines in research work involving human subjects, especially in data collection. All the norms and the standards of qualitative research set by the Institutional Review Board were followed. First, the study ensured voluntary participation of the respondents. No one was coerced to answer the interview questions on any grounds. In order to ensure that the respondents’ participation was voluntary, they were all required to sign a consent form which was emailed to them before the interviews. Another ethical guideline observed in this study was ensuring the privacy of all the respondents. All the information they provided was treated with confidentiality and was only used for the research purposes without sharing it with a third party. The reason is because in order to answer some of the questions, the respondents provided a lot of personal details in the process. If such information was to leak out, the students could have become potential targets for victimization by university administration, their employers and the community at large as a result of their political stand. Lastly, all the study participants were treated with the utmost respect and all forms of biases and misleading information was avoided.

Findings and Discussion

Source of Information on Anti-Government Protests and Rallies

Social media platforms are regarded as a reliable tool for information regarding rallies and demonstration meant to articulate the social and political situation in Hing Kong. 55% of the respondents suggested that they rely on information from the social media on scheduled meetings, rallies and protests. Also, 95% of the youths interviewed confirmed that they have learned about political meetings from at least one social media site at some point. Only a small percentage of students relied on conventional sources of information including banners and handbills, television, radio, magazines, and on-street propaganda by political parties. The social media sites which were commonly used for spreading propaganda and anti-government messages include Facebook posts and private messages, Facebook pages, blogs, Instant messaging, online forums, emails, among others.

Social Media and Socio-Political Awareness

Social media presence was associated with improved perception of the social and political situation in Hong Kong. About 70% of the respondents suggested that through various political engagements in social media, their knowledge of various government activities and policies and how they impact on their daily lives has improved significantly. Most of the interviewees stated that they had been recruited into student political movements in Hing Kong through social media sites by their friends. The student political movements led by Hong Kong Youth became prevalent since the large-scale Anti-National Education movement in 2012. The Hong Kong student movement demonstrated the political outlook of the system with the attitude of "peaceful, rational and non-violent," recognized the powers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Chinese mainland government and recognized the attachment of the motherland. However, after the period of umbrella movement, the emerging political outlook nowadays for the Hong Kong student movement reflect the anti-established attitude, takes a more proactive approach, which does not exclude radical behavior, and does not trust the HKSAR and the Mainland authorities.

Social Media Impact on the Attitude Towards the Government

The study shows that there is generally negative attitude towards the SAR government in Hong Kong. More than 90% of the interview respondents demonstrated distrust towards the government based on their views about the recent social and political landscape in Hong Kong. Only 10% of the respondents showed satisfaction with the government. For a majority of the youths who are dissatisfied with the SAR government, social media has been significant in shaping their views. Most of them are fond of reading news and blogs about the government performances both in Hong Kong and the central government. When asked to provide a comparison of credibility of news from social media and mainstream media, the respondents unanimously agreed that unlike the traditional media, most social media sites portrayed the mainland government as failing and contributed towards social challenges in the country. Analysis of a change in polical view as a result of exposure to social media shows that majority of the respondet either had dissenting opinion to ther present political view or they were neutral politically before joinig any social media platform. Consequently, social media platforms have significantly shaped their attitude towards the government regardless of whether the information leading to the change is credible.

Conclusion

The high rate of radicalization among the youth in Hong Kong through social media indicates not only a growing technological problem but also a major social issue. The phenomenon is a symptom of a deeply rooted societal problem whereby young people are feeling left out of the system. Social media is more a tool that amplifies their grievances, and they can now be heard unlike decades ago when the only channel available was the mainstream media which is highly regulated or pro-government. In addition, social media has presented young people with a platform to spend most of their free time in. Consequently, individuals sharing similar ideals especially in politics have managed to link up to form a wave of movement, especially among the university and college students.

The study brings to focus issue of ethics in social media use and the role of the government in its regulation and management. Social media is regarded as a free media where everyone has an opportunity to pass any message across. Most governments worldwide lack the capacity to regulate social media since the law does not provide for prosection of convicted individuals. Due to its weak regulations and the massive presence of young people, extremist groups and socio-political revolutionaries have opted for social media sites as the primary recruitment platforms for radicalized youths. It is also much more comfortable for such groups and organizations to read the character of individuals based on their activities in social media. Therefore, locating the soft targets for radicalization is a much easier task with the help of social media.

The role of the HKSAR government is regulation of social media use among the young people is also critical. If the current wave of student-led political movement continues, the region is likely to suffer both socially and economically from the instability that comes with political uncertainty. It is imperative for both the regional and mainland Chinese government to provide amicable solutions on the use of social media including enactment of laws to govern its use and prosecution of offenders. However, the government must strike a balance between protection of the young people from radicalization by extremist groups and ensuring that the freedom of speech is not infringed on in the process. Future research should focus on the role of education in inculcating good behavior among the youth in the current age of information technology.



























References

Berger, J., & Strathearn, B. (2013). Who matters online: Measuring influence, evaluating content and countering violent extremism in online social networks. Developments in Radicalisation and Political Violence, 56.

Borum, R. (2011). Radicalization into Violent Extremism I: A Review of Social Science Theories. Journal of Strategic Security, 7-36.

Chan, C. (2006). Youth Voice? Whose Voice? Young People and Youth Media Practice in Hong Kong. McGill Journal of Education, 41(3), 215-225.

Chiu, C., Ip, C., & Silverman, A. (2012). Understanding social media in China. McKinsey Quarterly, 1-6.

Grevet, C., Terveen, L., & Gilbert, E. (2014). Managing political differences in social media. Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing - CSCW '14, 1400-1408.

Lau, K., Hou, W., Hall, B., Canetti, D., Ng, S., Lam, A., et al. (2016). Social media and mental health in the democracy movement in Hong Kong: A population-based study. Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 656-662.

Leistdt, S. (2016). On the Radicalization Process. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 61(6), 1588-1591.

Lo, S. (2015, September 1). HK needs to educate its youth. Retrieved December 3, 2017, from ChinaDaily.

Menkhaus, K. (2014). Al-Shabaab and Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword. Brown Journal of World Affairs, 20(2), 309-327.

Porter, L., & Kebbel, M. (2011). Radicalization in Australia: Examining Australia's convicted terrorists. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 18(2), 212-231.

Sikkens, E., Sna, M., Sieckelinck, S., Boeije, H., & DeWinter, M. (2017). Participant Recruitment through Social Media: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Radicalization Study Using Facebook. Field Methods, 29(2), 130-139.

Sriwolai, K., & Charoenukmongkol, P. (2016). Face it, don't Facebook it: Impacts of Social Media Addiction on Mindfulness, Coping Strategies and the Consequence on Emotional Exhaustion. Stress and Health, 32(4), 427-434.

Thompson, R. (2011). Radicalization and the Use of Social Media. Journal of Strategic Security, 4(4), 167-190.































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